Posted:4th Oct 2005Greetings kindred spirits. I am reaching out to the Home of Poi community for help. I am writting a book on "The History of the Fire Arts" which will be an all inclusive understanding and appreciation of those who create, perform, build, and teach everything and anything that pertains to the fire arts. I am presently on the chapter that deals with the fire staff. I am familiar with the Polinesian culture that started 'fire knife' dancing in the mid thirties from Samoa that eventually made it's way to Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand and, finally, Hawaii. I am also aware of fire staff spinning in India that began in the '60's. I have also heard stories of some forms of fire staff spinning in South America and even in Africa, but not yet confirmed. The informaton that I am seeking now is; who are the people responsible for inspiring the multitudes of 'white' people world wide to take up the fire staff. It appears to have begun in Australia in the late 80's or early 90's. If this is true, would someone be so kind as to direct me to anyone who might know who these people are. Their names, addresses, e-mail , websites; I'll take anything. If anyone should also know of any persons who were fire staff performing even earlier than the late 80's that was not bound to, or apart of, any ethnic identity, PLEASE let me know. To make this real simple, folks, I am looking for the first white people who wanted to adopt, take on, another cultures ethnic fire ritual and identity and ask them; why? Someone knows and I really could use the info. Blessings to you all, and I hope to hear from you soon. Peace, Historian

Everything is subjective and open to interpretation. Some people enjoy their bubbles, and it's not our place to go around popping them. Live and let live, especially when to do anything else is entirely counter-productive... fruitless even.

HoP Posting GuidelinesIs it the Truth? Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships? Will it be Beneficial to all concerned? If you can answer YES to these 4 questions then you may post a reply.

Empty your mind. Be formless, Shapeless, like Water.Put Water into a cup, it becomes the cup, put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.Water can flow, or it can Crash.Be Water My Friend.

I first saw single staff from a distance at a free concert thing in Sydney in 1996. I bought myself a broom handle and figured out the basic movements. Then, one day a few months later, I stumbled across a guy selling fire staffs at a tiny stall in my local markets. I asked him about fuel - he told me to use Kero. So, I bought a staff & some kero, went up to the flat rooftop of my apartment block and, with very nervous friends ready to douse any rogue flames, lit them up. ROOOHAAAH!

I progressed slowly and never had any other twirlers to bounce off until 2000. That's 4 years of isolation! In those 4 years, I made some double staves and also figured out poi for myself, after finding the first incarnation of this website (1998 or 1999). I used to perform every Sunday night in Whistler, Canada at the Fire & Ice show - they gave me a seasons pass worth over $1500CAD for it! I also utilised some stylised staff spinning in my role as Nurse in a production of Romeo & Juliet whilst living there as well.

I returned to Australia in 2000, via 6 weeks in Fiji. I did my first doubles performance there one night in exchange for a bar tab. I was dismayed when I handed my doubles to a local who was way more impressive than I.

In very late 2000, back in Sydney, I hooked up with a few HoPpers - Berzerker, Frenzie & Finn. All of us were in the same position - didn't know any other twirlers. So, we formed a troupe called The Wick Effect and started performing at psytrance parties. We had a wickedly fun few years together....

In the midst of all this, I had started forming online friendships with other HoPpers - Pyrolific & Dangerboy in particular. I actually encouraged young Pyrolific to have a go at doubles and supervised his first attempt... now look at him!

Dangerboy (hailing from Canada) wanted to come visit Australia. I had never met him prior to meeting him at the airport. He stayed with me until he found a place to live, and we shared a beautiful friendship for the years he was in our fair land. He and I did a number of performances together as a side project to The Wick Effect, namely in gay clubs & fetish parties. We were a hit - neither of us afraid of sass & sleaze.

Dangerboy went back to Canada, the Wick Effect burnt itself out and I rarely pick up my sticks these days.

HoP Posting GuidelinesIs it the Truth? Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships? Will it be Beneficial to all concerned? If you can answer YES to these 4 questions then you may post a reply.

Posted:23rd Nov 2005 Sorry meg. I just lack inspiration these days.... I'm really bad at learning new stuff (read: exceptionally bad) and I got frustrated and impatient with myself... Dirty Secret: I'm a big loser in that if I'm not elite, I'd rather not do it at all. Sad but true.

HoP Posting GuidelinesIs it the Truth? Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships? Will it be Beneficial to all concerned? If you can answer YES to these 4 questions then you may post a reply.

HoP Posting GuidelinesIs it the Truth? Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships? Will it be Beneficial to all concerned? If you can answer YES to these 4 questions then you may post a reply.

Posted:23rd Nov 2005I am also exceptionally bad at learning. I don't let that stop me though. I think I've got to a watershed moment where I can learn quicker now, after all those years of being stubborn. I learned the three beat fishtail today. Cos I turned up early for gymnastics.

"the now legendary" - Kaskade"the still legendary" - Kaskade

I spunked in my friend's aquarium and the fish ate it. I love all fish. Especially the pink ones. They are my bitches. - Anon.

Maybe if I get poked and prodded and harassed enough, I might be compelled to enter a video for the next COL or something.

HoP Posting GuidelinesIs it the Truth? Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships? Will it be Beneficial to all concerned? If you can answer YES to these 4 questions then you may post a reply.

Posted:23rd Nov 2005It's easy for me to want to keep learning as i am really quite attracted to twirlers.It is unclear whether it is passion or obsession.It is clear however that i likes it!</continues to pretend we're still discussing the history of fire arts..>

Maybe if I get poked and prodded and harassed enough, I might be compelled to enter a video for the next COL or something.

(adresses the assembled crowd)I humbly volunteer to do the poking and prodding. as a service to mankind of course.

dons a gimp outfit

-Such a price the gods exact for song: to become what we sing-Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.-When the center of the storm does not move, you are in its path.

Posted:24th Nov 2005Ok so now then time for me to share my inspiration, and liniage.

June 2004 got me self a lil stick for my birthday, praciced like a mad man on my own for a few weeks,but i went to college with oli so home of poi was soon found.some one somewhere told me about a "fishtail" and what it was and from there i was hooked, ages of trying to get it later, i finally did, in the gap somewhere i found Megs contact site, and was in compleate and utter awe for ages,(still am!!) started learning.3months later got me self a second stick, and played loads, watching vids off hop, seriously in to contact as it was difficult, but fun to play with, incorperating some tai chi etc.Saw a video by ben-ja-men and then a vid with fluff playing with little sticks that made me forget contact for a while.

then more playing around on my own, untill met Nate and Dave, and learnt lots of stuff which was really cool.

met fluff and Psi and people, who kicked in more inspiration over the summer after getting a spinning meet arranged between us all (star orginised all this cuz shes cool!!)

then came play with actually meeting meg, strugz and rob cat, that and seeing glass but not actually talking to him as i was lazy.

so thats about it

so list is

BenMegStrugzRobNatePsiFluffT&B is in there somehwere

oh and im sure theres more but thats what springs to mind

now....im all alone again, but not far from anyone so being lazy...make me do stuff people!!!

(strugz tell me a time to get down your way!!)

Drawings by chalk minds, strech between the stars

Kyle Mclean-Contact without dance is like sex without wiggling.A) it does feel as goodB) it does not look as good on film

Posted:24th Nov 2005okay, this is pretty interesting reading, here is my lineage, as i remember it.

first saw poi in august 02 in a campsite in cornwall, some guys on moterbikes came and played fire next to our tents, and taught me the butterfly. then i went home and didnt touch poi again for a long time.

the next time i became intersted in poi was, about june of 2003, when i was doing exams, i found this site on the internet called homeofpoi, and brought some fluffy pink tennis ball poi from a different site, i started to learn all the moves on this site from the free lessons.

went back to cornwall in august, met jules and scott, jules showed me isolations.. she called them illusions and scott showed me stalls...

i got addicted to poi after this and was very influenced by videos such as howto, the spherculism videos and spinning in paris.

at christmass i met flid and he showed me tangled buzzsaws.

i think i read one of nxs posts on here and learn a dodgy antispin weave at some point around here.

then i met/saw loads of spinners at glastonbury 2004 (and over the course of the summer, at the first falmouths and other festivals etc..), including matt, gathy, psi, laura, dunc and ucof... and loads more and inspired to work on tangles pretty obsessivly for some reason, i remember having a very enlightening spin with matt at one point, during the glastonbury weekend.

ros comes home, and amazes me sometime after that, i think i started trying to learn flowers...

i learnt to do infinte hyperloops all by myself while down in cornwall..

i start being able to understand rev some time around the start of 2005, and i met luke while traveling, and finally start to understand inversions.

ive proabably missed out some major events/influences and im still learning so this storey is not over

all the spinners ive met or been in communictaion via this board with have influenced me in some way so thanks to all of you EDITED_BY: oli (1132773367)

Me train running low on soul coalThey push+pull tactics are driving me locoThey shouldn't do that no no no

Posted:24th Nov 2005I feel humbled by some of the spinning lineages on here... >,<

It was July 2004, when walking through Copenhagen city centre with my friend Donna, that I saw my first poi spinner. There was a dreaded hippy dude spinning at the market there, selling practise poi and some fire heads. As soon as I saw him, I was hooked. I bought a set off him and started spinning straight away. I learnt the buttrefly and the corkscrew within the first day.

I went home in early August, and span with a friend of mine who'd been doing fire poi for a year or two before I found out about them. Learnt nothing.

October 2004, came to uni here in southampton and joined the circus soc. I met Sina and Mack and was blown away by their spinning, They showed me HoP and taught me all the basics.

For most of the year I was spinning and learning new tricks from all over the place.

August 2005, I went to France for 2 months. I went from spinning basic tricks to doing wraps, tangles, hyperloops, isolations, flowers, butterfly weaves, waist wraps and pretty much all of my spinning as it stands today. I had nothing else to do! Oh yeah, and I joined HoP!

October 2005, I came back to uni to circus soc, met up with Mac and Sina again, met Frodo and Strugz, and messed around with lots more wraps, btb stuff, antispin and buzzsaw fountains.

-RH arrived in Australia for the Bicentennial Celebration on Oct.5, 1987, and toured,(busked) the country for six months.(Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, Townsville, Canberra, Melborne, Adelaide, Perth, and Freemantle; with many little towns in between. He taught wherever he went.

.

-First person to be given written permission to perform on site of the Sydney Opera House as a street performer.

WAIT, WAIT, it gets BETTER! Apparently, as Mr. Heart traveled throughout Australia and New Zealand, he was dismayed to learn that the people of Australia and New Zealand had never heard of, (common-knowledge-in-America), the 'Stop, Drop, and Roll' technique for fire protection.

Well - the Australian Bicentennary was in facy on the 26th of January 1988. Not in 1987.

The first person to get the busking license would have been because you didn't need one before - someone had to be first to fill in the new form and pay the fee to busk.

I was taught the stop, drop and roll technique at school in the 70's.

so there are some inaccuaracies with your dates mr hotfa that might need rechecking with some primary sources